welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america on pbs and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: the trump administration confirms that it's stopping all funding for the un agency that supports palestinian refugees. you make me feel, you make me feel... a star—studded send off for aretha franklin at a funeral ceremony in her hometown of detroit. the world is celebrating you. and the world is mourning you. and the world is going to miss you. how genetic science is helping britain's magnificent golden eagles spread their wings. and the latest film by oscar winning director alfonso cuaron is getting top marks in venice. but the decision to stream it first gets mixed reviews. hello and welcome to the programme.

the us will end all funding for the un agency that supports palestinian refugees. washington had already drastically cut its support for the agency, which helps more than five million palestinians in gaza and the west bank, and in other countries neighbouring israel. for more on this decision let's go live to chris buckler in washington. chris, what has prompted this? several different things here, firstly, america feels it's been funding this programme, has been leading certainly in terms of funding this programme, for a number of years and it doesn't want to carry that financial burden any more. but that's only part of it because it also makes clear in its statement it has concerns about the way the programme is being run. for example it says it's been in crisis

mode for many years, it's an irredeemably flawed operation and it really attacks the whole agency in terms of the way it's providing aid and education. that of course is something the agency itself really rejects. but there's a third element to this as well and that's a political one because i think there's a political edge to this decision, and that's because relationships between washington and the palestinian leadership are not good, particularly since donald trump ‘s decision to move the us embassy in jerusalem to. trump ‘s decision to move the us embassy injerusalem to. that's been a low point and there's been a number of fights inside the united nations. as a result there will be some who are saying there's a political element to this and therefore given the amount of good this agency does do, there will be many who are saying, is this the right decision? well, chris, this has been in the offing because they did mention this earlier this year that they were going to do this. and

we do have a statement from this organisation, unraw, in which they say there's been regret and a disappointment but they say there is no surprise. they strike back at some of the comments that have been made, particularly the one where they say they are irredeemably flawed when they are irredeemably flawed when they do the programmes. they've pointed out that the world bank described their activities as a global public good and they say they wa nt to global public good and they say they want to continue with their work but a potentially big hole in their funding because the united states really offered more than $360 million last year to this organisation. this year it has given $60 million, $360 million hole and course going forward it doesn't land to contribute anything at all. thanks very much, chris buckler in washington. —— doesn't plan to. and you can learn more about the situation in gaza as well as finding more background information relating to the un's palestinian refugee agency unwra on the bbc website. go to bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. some of the greatest musical

performers of the last sixty years have joined leading politicians and civil rights leaders to remember the life of aretha franklin. she died earlier this month from cancer, at the age of 76. the funeral service for the singer, who became known as the queen of soul, has been taking place in detroit at the church where she sang as a child. 0ur north america correspondent, aleem maqbool, was there. # it's marvellous # marvellous # it is a day of giving praise for the life of a woman who made an unprecedented impact with her voice and with her soul. # it's marvellous # a culmination of two weeks of tribute since the passing of aretha franklin. a public that adored her queued for hours to get inside the church to get a chance to say their final goodbyes to the queen of soul. i could not sit at home

and watch it on television. being here really brings in the real feel of things. her message and what she represented for people who are of african descent in this country, number one. two, beyond that the music is healing, the music is powerful, the music isjoyful. # marvellous # in paying their last respects to her before she's laid to rest, the stars and dignitaries who reflected the reach of aretha franklin's impact and a legacy that goes far beyond the music industry alone. # i'm going up yonder, # i'm going up yonder # she lived with faith, not without failure but overcoming her failures. she lived with power, not without weakness, but overcoming her weaknesses. ijust loved her.

in life, aretha sought to fight perceived social injustice and commanded respect. today, on her behalf, the civil rights icon reverend al sharpton demanded the same from the current president. you know on sunday on my show i misspelled "respect" and a lot of y'all, a lot of y'all corrected me. now i want y'all to help me correct president trump, to teach him what it means. cheering and when i would go to her shows and watch her sing, it would be the best feeling in the world. nothing sounded better to me than the way my grandma sings. her voice made you feel something. you felt every word, every note, every emotion in the songs she sang.

her voice brought peace. the world is celebrating you and the world is mourning you and the world is going to miss you. # you make me feel # you make me feel # you make me feel like a natural woman # there's no doubt the often tough, troubled life of aretha franklin that ultimately yielded such towering achievements, has touched many who came after her, and while goodbyes are being said today, her legacy will continue to inspire long into the future. aleem maqbool, bbc news, detroit. fellow musician and longtime friend stevie wonder, fellow musician and longtime friend stevie wonder was one of the last to pay

tribute to aretha franklin. this is what he had to say. and yes, the reason that we are here today is because of love. because of how much we love this woman. the blessing through god was given to us. and we talk about all the things that those have talked about today. please remember the greatest gift that we have been given in the life itself is love. let's get some of the day's other news. talks on the future shape of the north american free trade agreement have broken up for the week without a deal being reached between the united states and canada. president trump has indicated that if no deal can be reached with canada, he will sign the bilateral agreement with mexico, which was concluded on monday. a leader of russian—backed separatists in eastern ukraine,

alexander zakharchenko, has been killed in an explosion in donetsk city. russia's foreign ministry said it suspected ukraine of organising the killing. but the ukrainian government has denied any involvement. the un says there's the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe if the syrian regime doesn't halt its plans to retake the last major rebel stronghold of idlib. almost three million people live there, many of them are rebel fighters and opposition members who were brought to idlib after the army regained control of other opposition areas across the country. the ugandan rapper—turned—mp bobi wine has been released from hospital and is now heading for the airport. he is hoping to fly out of the country for medical treatment in the united states. he was kept in a locked room in a kampala hospital despite his demands for access to independent ugandan medical staff. he faces charges of treason. the ugandan army denies claims its soldiers tortured him

while he was in their custody. in the other major farewell today, senatorjohn mccain's body was taken back to the us capitol for the final time. colleagues, friends and family all gathered to honour the lawmaker, who will lie in state until his funeral on saturday. here's a look at some of the days defining images. all week, messages of support and tribute and, today, john mccain's casket arrived at the capitol, scene of some of his greatest trials and triumphs. here he will lie in state, a rare honour afforded to only a dozen other senators. and an opportunity for his congressional colleagues to pay their respects to a man who often frustrated them as much as they admired him. depending on the issue, you knewjohn would either be your staunchest ally or your most stubborn opponent. at any moment, he might be preparing an eloquent reflection on human liberty, or a devastating joke served up with his signature cackle and that john mccain glint in his eye. this was also a moment

for personal grief. the public setting made intimate once again by his wife, cindy. tears from his daughter, meghan. and his mother, aged 106, who must have believed she'd lost him years before as a prisoner of war in vietnam. and although president trump was conspicuous by his absence, vice president mike pence summed up the ideal of servicejohn mccain personified for so much of his life. on behalf of a grateful nation, we will ever remember thatjohn mccain served his country, and john mccain served his country honourably. john mccain was, of course, a flawed man and deeply human,

but, for many americans filing past his coffin, he was an american hero in the real sense. somebody who put ideals and love of country above politics and who believed passionately in something greater than himself. the bbc‘s jane 0'brien reporting from washington. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: securing the future of britain's golden eagles. how genetic science is helping them spread their wings. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting, so... hostages appeared, some carried,

some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the trump administration is stopping all funding for the un agency that supports palestinian refugees. the soul singer aretha franklin has been given a musical farewell at a star—studded funeral in her home city of detroit.

let's get more on our top story now. 0mar baddar is deputy director of the arab american institute. hejoins me now from washington dc. thank you forjoining us. what is your reaction to the trump administration halting all funding to unrwa? it is appalling. it is ha rd to to unrwa? it is appalling. it is hard to find the right words to describe it. he is effectively going after some of the most vulnerable populations in the region. it is morally reprehensible because it ta kes a morally reprehensible because it takes a father from peace and is potentially destabilising because we don't know what the consequences will be of denying millions of people of what they need. it is negative from every angle. but this has not come out of the blue. they said they would do this earlier this

year. that should have given unrwa some time to prepare. yes, although it is difficult to know what preparing us. it is a question of whether other countries— how much other countries will be able to step up other countries will be able to step up and fill the gap at the us is leaving behind. let us remember that this is ultimately about pressuring the palestinian leadership to play ball and acquiesce to american policy in the region. they tried to pressure them to come to peace negotiations are under difficult circumstances, let's call it that. sorry to interrupt, but you are saying acquiesce, but they would say they want the palestinian demonstration to come to the negotiating table and talk peace. hamas, for example, does not recognise israel. let's be clear about one thing: israel created the

refugee crisis in the first place by driving the palestinians out. the problem has long been that the palestinians have been bending over backwards to fix this in a 2—state solution, which israel has rejected by building more and more settle m e nts by building more and more settlements on palestinian land. the problem has or has been getting israel to abide by international law. and when the administration came in, and that of pressuring israel to get the peace process moving, better giving israel a carte blanche to do whatever they want, and put the blame on the palestinians, which is going the wrong direction. coming the negotiating table and these conditions, there is basically no reason to come to the table when the party that is supposed to be mediating these talks enter effectively acting like a participant in israel's war with the palestinians. if we look at this purely from the united states suspected, that this agency has been

running since 1950, and we are 68 yea rs running since 1950, and we are 68 years on, that is too long for an agency to be running a programme looking after refugees. that is probably the only thing that the trump administration and i would agree on. the fact that you have a population that has been left as refugees that this long is absolutely unacceptable. brent dean is unsustainable in the long—term to keep basically trained to look after refugees, a population that is growing. at the way to solve that is not by crushing the victims, punishing the victims, by withholding from them, but like pressuring the party that greeted his bronze in the first place, the israeli government, for great integrators, and to make a more involved in resolving the conflict that takes care of the refugees and of putting pressure on the victims the situation. benjamin netanyahu has says that what unrwa does is it makes palestinians dependent on aid, and dependent on being given money, rather than using their own now is to build up the economy and make things happen for themselves. ——

mahmoud abbas. it is easy for somebody who is basically tried to get away with — what he's tried to do is evade the responsibility that the israeli government has the refugees. —— nouse. tsavo somehow try to sustain their life makes them responsible to the crisis. but you cannot end the crisis by withholding aid from people. the only way you can do that is by having a conversation. it is about who is rejecting the peace process. that is where the conversation ought to be happening. thank you very much for joining us. that is 0mar baddar, deputy director of the arab american institute. a man who planned to kill theresa may was convicted last month of

planning terrorism. he planned to detonate a bomb at the door of downing street and then kill theresa may with a knife or gun. the eu has planned to an daylight saving time. 84% of people so they wanted to stop switching between summertime and wintertime. it would need support of the eu parliament and member states as it will be the decision of each sovereign state which time they choose to keep. the golden eagle is amongst the most majestic species of wildlife to grace our countryside — and yet it's almost entirely restricted to remote parts of scotland. scientists have now unlocked the complete genetic code of this important predator, which should help both to protect the eagle, and expand its numbers. here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. a golden eaglet, hidden safely away in its mountain nest, making it a perilousjob to take a dna sample. but a tiny amount of dna is all scientists need to map the genetic code of this great bird of prey.

within that code researchers will find clues about the food and habitat they rely on, so that havens for these threatened birds can be found and protected. and where populations are in severe decline, genetic matchmaking could give eagles a better chance to thrive. this is a dna storage freezer. the same institute that helped sequence the first human genome 15 years ago has now decoded the eagles' biological secrets. this allows us to really understand a huge amount about its biology, about the variation between populations, how it survives in the wild, how we can better manage it. it is the blueprint for life and it supports a huge amount of research ongoing. scotland's rugged mountains are home to just 500 pairs of wild golden eagles. and for conservationists, protecting these endangered birds means watching over them in their natural habitat. this is big eagle country. they prefer the inland,

the rocky, craggy areas. but it's big, remote country and spotting one is going to be tough. so they've got to take their chances while they can. and if it's good visibility they'll do the territorial bit, and a bit of hunting. if the cloud comes down and it's raining they're just going to have to sit. they'll find a sheltered crag and just sit it out really. but that can last for days during the winter. even in the best weather in the middle of eagle country, we just have to watch, wait and hope. this is a special protected site for golden eagles and there are four nesting pairs, which is why dave's brought us here. we have a scope, we have the binoculars, we have the long lens, so we willjust keep our fingers crossed because it's big country, so... there's a golden eagle up here now. oh, my word! going along the ridge. oh, wow! these top predators, found only in only the most unspoiled, open landscapes are critical to their environment, and conservation biologists are starting to use this genetic blueprint to help select the right birds to release

elsewhere in the country. but while this landscape's most majestic residents have given up some very valuable secrets, they remain just as impressive as ever. victoria gill, bbc news, on the isle of mull. the venice film festival is underway and one of the movies making its premiere is roma, from the 0scar—winning director alfonso cuaron. it's being distributed by netflix, which has a strong presence at this year's event — something that doesn't go down well with everyone in the film world. 0ur arts editor will gompertz explains. alfonso cuaron's latest film is a black—and—white cinematic memoir based on his childhood growing up in mexico city in a middle—class family that enjoys the support and love of domestic worker cleo. in reality this film is about cleo. but, more important, as a woman from a different social class and a different social context, even if she is part of my family than my own family. and racially different...?

and more important, race, and through that the prism to talk about different thematic elements. one of them being this perverse relationship, the relationship that exists between class and race. roma is in competition for the main festival prize, which has proved to be a talking point here because it's being distributed by the streaming service netflix, which, controversially, tends not to give cinema is an exclusive period to show a film before it appears online. why did you decide to go with netflix for distribution? the complexities of today's foreign film market worldwide, and foreign film, i'm talking none in english and none with stars, is very specific. you don't have the options that you have when you're doing a hollywood film. but do you worry, as somebody who loves cinema, that working with streaming companies can end up with people not

going to cinemas and watching it at home instead? people who want to see this film on the big screen, they will have the opportunity to see it on the big screen and, by the same token, i know that there's a whole new generation that they prefer... that rarely go to the cinema. this is the man who decided to allow the streaming services to take part in the festival against the wishes of many cinema owners, who, he says, need to accept and adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of the movie business. no new media killed the old ones. this is an opportunity for them to try to change the model and the offering to the audience. you cannot stay there waiting for the audience coming and buying a ticket. it will not happen any more. you have to convince them to come to a theatre, to find a way to let them understand that coming to a theatre, it's a more rewarding and more beautiful experience. whether people see roma online, on the big screen, or not at all, the chances are if the critics' positive reaction to it here are anything to go by, is that we will be hearing a lot more about the film is the award season approaches. will gompertz, bbc news, venice.

let's bring your mind about top story. the united states is cutting off all funding for the united nations relief and works agency which supports palestinian refugees. it supports 5 million people in gaza and in israel. the united states has said that it is irredeemably flawed. a spokesman for the listing and president has called it a flagrant assault on the palestinian people. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @nkem|fejika. thanks for watching. well, the weekend's upon us, and the weather is actually looking

pretty good across much of the country over the next couple of days. some warmth, summerlike warmth. in fact, temperatures could get up into the mid—20s. the nights are drawing in, the days are getting shorter and any warmth that we do get, we really should make the most of it. so let's see what's happening then into the weekend, high pressure's very close to the uk, so that means settled weather conditions, but there are weather fronts very close to our neighbourhood. they will be nudging in later in the weekend, possibly bringing some rain to north—western areas. but before that happens, we've got that warmth being drawn in from the south, from spain, portugal, france as well and, as i say, temperatures will be well into the twenties. this is what it looks like through the rest of the night

into the early hours of saturday morning, clear skies across many eastern and central areas so here there will be a nip in the air very early in the morning. temperatures dipping down to single figures. not as cold as last night. across western areas, more cloud here, more of a breeze and a little bit warmer. that means in the west of the country, temperatures first thing will be around about 15 degrees but there's quite a lot of cloud you can see here from cornwall, devon, throughout wales, the irish sea and into south—western scotland, and if you squint you'll notice there's even a little bit of rain here, so perhaps for some of us, a grey start to the day across western parts of the country. the clouds here will be breaking up here, it's not one layer of grey, there will be some sunshine out for sure, and even if you get a grey morning, by late morning, lunch time, you will probably see some sunshine by then. best of the weather by far will be across eastern and southern areas and here, temperatures could reach around the mid—20s, but certainly around 20 degrees on the cards for northern ireland, and not far off that in the lowlands of scotland. that was saturday, this is sunday now. again the best of the weather will be across eastern and southern areas but this weather front is edging closer and closer.

the winds are strengthening, really quite blustery around the western isles, in the north and west coast of northern ireland. but the real warmth develops in central and eastern areas, that's that plume of warmth coming out of france, so temperatures will get into the mid—20s in london, possibly even the mid—20s as far north as yorkshire, but in the north—west, a little bit of rain on the way for belfast later in the afternoon on sunday or early evening. the outlook into next week isn't looking bad at all, variable amounts of cloud. looks like the temperatures will drop a little bit, but essentially speaking it's looking fine, into the 20s or high teens for most of us. bye— bye. this is bbc news. the headlines: friends and relatives have been paying their final respects to aretha franklin at an invitation—only funeral ceremony in detroit. famous faces attending included jesse jackson and former president bill clinton. he described aretha as the voice of a generation, if not the century. the trump administration has confirmed that it's stopping

all funding for the un agency that supports palestinian refugees. washington had already drastically cut its support for the agency, which helps more than 5 million palestinians. a spokesman for the palestinian prime minister described the move as a "flagra nt assault" on the palestinian people and a defiance of un resolution. a bbc investigation has found evidence that china has imprisoned up to a million muslim uighurs in so—called "re—education camps." the investigation uncovered allegations of torture. the un says it's alarmed by the reports and called for the detainees' release. china has denied the camps even exist.